Marketing Strategies That Persuades International Students to UK Higher Education Institutions - Research Proposal Example

Organizational Consultancy Report By Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Aims and Objectives 3 Literature Review 4 Selling Proposition 4 Target Market 5 Service Positioning 7 Marketing Methods 8 Research Methods and Data Collection 9 Data Collection 10 Recommendations 13 Define 13 Measure 13 Analyze 13 Improve 14 Control 14 Conclusion 14 Executive Summary Based on the need to establish a working marketing plan/strategy, this research aimed at conducting primary research targeting a sample of 100 participants. Twenty and eighty percent of the participants were professors and Saudi Arabia students within Swansea and London campuses. The literature under marketing strategies proposed steps of making a reliable and valid marketing strategy using considerations such as selling proposition, target market, benefits of the service, service positioning, marketing method. Using the DMAIC model applied in six sigma, this research proposed a model for application in marketing strategies that considers the variables of reliable marketing plan. Introduction London and Swansea campuses in the UK are among the higher education institutions that provide quality education focused in providing international students with the desired academic environment. However, while this is the case, there have been various challenges that face the higher education sector of the UK. While the UK education system is not affected by quality or other factors such as political instability, the number of Saudi students enrolling in these institutions has been small. Based on the challenge of getting Saudi students to enroll to UK institutions, in this case Swansea and London Campuses, this research aims at finding various marketing strategies that can be used to attract students to the above mentioned campuses. As a personal research, primary data collection method is applied to find more information regarding the nature with which the UK higher education appeals to Saudi students as well as the trends that influence the enrollment of students to UK higher education. The purpose of the research is to show that Swansea and London campuses qualify as higher education institutions that can influence the manner in which Saudi Arabic students perceive UK higher education system. Although other higher education sectors such as the US, Canada, and China have been on record for attracting higher number of international students, it is the role of this research to provide a marketing plan that follows various concepts to ensure student enrolment in these institutions. Aims and Objectives The aim of this research is to provide an analytical marketing strategy for persuading Saudi Students to join Swansea and London Campuses. On one hand, the research aims at ensuring that a strategic marketing plan is developed through the use of the DMAIC model to ensure that the plan is focused, deliverable, and at the same time appealing to a contemporary Saudi Arabian Student. On the other hand, the research aims at providing a criteria for appraising variables of the marketing mix that are applicable to the current research. The objectives to facilitate the desired aims include: a. To analyze different marketing strategies that persuades international students to UK higher education institutions b. To propose a marketing strategy to increase the marketability of London and Swansea campuses. Literature Review Selling Proposition Every business oriented plan makes use of selling propositions as these help in directing the target audience of market segment with the ideas of what the business model is about. The academic sector is not different from other sectors especially if profit is the target goal of the business venture. Since the education sector is one that has various institutions offering different modules to a target group for both local and international students. In this case, the issues connected and associated with competition are factors that students or target markets should be wary of in terms of quality of education offered, the cost of courses, the procedure of enrolment as well as the political and legal environment. Based on a mini version of a PESTEL analysis, it is seen that the political environment is accommodating of students with academic ambitions in that no major events have been recorded for the last 10 years. On the other hand, UK members support are members of the Geneva Convention which supports the cutting back on environmental pollution (Carl, & Robert, 2000). The political forces and the pollution free environment offer desirable academic environment friendly for pursuing different courses. The economic forces affecting the UK higher education sector includes the stable economy which supports the needs of different students, both local and international. Technological factors within the UK offers resources such as online courses and fast broadband connections to ensure that accessibility of online resources is affordable and efficient. Contemporary students look forward to using academic optimization methods to perfect skills, spend less hours in physical classes. Finally, the mini PESTEL considers the legal forces such as immigration regulations as international students’ protection. These areas provide students with a business environment that is both welcoming and efficient in processing immigration details and offering international students with reliable protection. Target Market The target market for Swansea and London campuses is not different from that of other higher education institutions. The contemporary education sector is influenced by various forces that require the academic sector to provide courses as well as learning objectives that meet contemporary business requires and job market expectations. The job market expects students working part-time or as interns to provide input that is both economic and beneficial to the students in terms of accumulating experience and to the employers who seek to create surplus in any for-profit environment (Elizabeth, 2009). Among the various factors that affect the contemporary student include the nature of the education environment, globalization, and the type of courses offered. The education environment in the UK makes use of technological solutions to offer comprehensive learning experience to all students. Contemporarily, various sectors and industries provide their target market with solutions to ease the processes involved for optimal productivity. In this case, the provision of online classes coincides with globalization effects on communication channels making long distance communication easy to cope with and apply in real time conditions. Thus, contemporary effects of globalization require education sectors in the UK or elsewhere around the world to target a contemporary international markets which embrace technological solutions. Type of courses within the contemporary education sector relate the marketability of the knowledge and skills within the professional phase of development. The most marketable careers are associated with legal, business, technical, and STEM courses. In this case, students within the contemporary environment look forward to an education sector that is efficient in offering courses that relate to modern business and professional environment. Based on the types of courses offered to the target market, interest is created or lost to study as international students (Harold, 2009). Currently, the number of students looking forward to working in international job markets look forward to studying in the same level of institutions. With stable economic backgrounds, the targeting of Saudi Arabia students revolves around the UK’s educational sector and the associated steps taken towards the promotion of globalization within the learning environment. Benefits of Studying in UK The benefits of studying in the UK and specifically at Swansea and London campuses is related to the full blown PESTEL analysis. The larger environment within which the campuses exist is analyzed through PESTEL model to show how the campuses can survive under various social, political, economic, technological, environment, and legal factors. The political factors that favor higher education institutions existence in the UK include a calm political environment governed by a government entrusted with the protection of everyone’s’ rights. Among the rights of students include learning in institutions that collaboratively detest racial profiling in the selection or acceptance of applicants. This environment is properly acquainted with the knowledge of the needs for students as well as enforcing laws and regulations that govern the provision of quality education in both private and public higher education sectors (Terri, 2006). The economic factors within the UK include increased industries and introduction of products and services that offer high accessibility of jobs. In this case, the UK economic environment is desirable since it offers students with various options in the job industry. While the rate of unemployment within the UK may be significant, many are the cases associated with lack of professional qualification. The employability of students with higher education experience is high hence offering various opportunities to work in the UK after completing an academic course (Gary, 2005). Socio-cultural factors within the UK higher education sector include the manner in which students perceive education, how education is offered to different classes of learners. Based on the culture that education is the backbone of a stable economy, the reason students in the UK are provided with quality higher education is to provide elites that will serve in various industries and professional settings. However, as an analytical factor of the UK higher education sector, socio-cultural factors influence institutions to provide learning experience that is both respectful and sustainable in the long run (Snyder, 2009). Service Positioning Service position in the same thing in corporate setting as product positioning. In this case, service positioning is considered the placement of services targeting a specific nature of customers of users. Higher education institutions are consider service providers as they offer opportunities for professors and instructors to teach students while at the same time requiring students to pay for the service in terms of school fees. Based on this interdependence between the service providers and service users, the former group is required to serve a targeted group of users. In this case, the positioning of higher education is limited to the constraints of the targeted group. The target group is Saudi Arabia students in need of joining international UK campuses. The positioning of the service targets international students and therefore it is limited to playing by the international standards and expectations (Davidson, 2003). Thus, based on business culture at the industry level, local higher education institutions offer courses and other learning experiences that resemble the local business culture. On the other hand, service providers targeting the international service users require to sustain service quality that meet the expectation of global customers as well as experienced young adults in need of quality service based on thorough comparison of institutions (Jack, and Samuel, 2008). Within competitive markets, service providers rely on customer or user demand in order to adjust their target customers. For instance, the targeting of higher education students is a specific endeavor whose goal is to provide the right service to the deserving lot. However, when targeting a specific group of service users such as Saudi Arabia students, the approach is known as segmentation. Market segmentation can take various forms while considering different variable. For instance, based on markets, segmentation can be done based on regions. Additionally, based on age or the level of education of service users, segmentation can be done based on these factors (James, 2006). For the segmentation to involve Saudi Arabia students shows that the target market is the international students. However, the segment of the international students considered is students only from Saudi Arabia. The rationale of targeting Saudi Arabia is related to eh higher demand of higher education. Marketing Methods Marketing methods include the strategies involved in communicating services and products to customers to raise attention. In the marketing of education services, the channel for use is a major factor in the choice of the method. For instance, there is a difference between personal selling and advertisement. Both are methods of raising awareness to customers. However, when considering the use of online means to sell or advertise, the internet is the channel of use. On the other hand, advertising on television or through billboards also consider the television or the billboards to the channels of communicating the need (Medina, & Thomas, 2002). The method of choice when communicating to contemporary young adults it is effective to use global trends to forecast the behavior of the target market. Use of technology is one among the behaviors of this target group and therefore social media can be used as an online channel to provide link between the academic institutions and users of academic services. Online means of communication can make use of advertising or direct marketing to target specific age group or segment of the market requiring the service offered (Schmidt, 2009). Research Methods and Data Collection With reference to the PID project, the proposed research method and data collection methods, the research will make use of structured interviews as indicated under the PID that ‘the structured interview will be the method of data and information. A structured interview is one that does not allow the participant to respond with answers outside the provided multiple-choices or criteria. In this case, the method will be applied to control for ambiguity as well as in promoting uniformity of units of measurement. Using the Likert-5 Scale, interview questions will be values from 1 to 5 with the former indicating ‘No Interest’ and the latter representing ‘Highly Interested’ (Paula, and Karen, 1997)” (PID). The justification of the research method applied or used in this case is associated with the nature of the subject as well as controlling for ambiguity. On the basis that the sample size for the survey, 100 participants will be recruited through online social media to participate in the survey. The data collection instrument used in this case is interview and it is justified by its nature of producing first-hand information. Since the study is involved with finding strategies that can improve the marketability of Swansea and London campuses to Saudi Arabia students. Included to take part in the research are students and professors. The students will involve 80 Saudi Arabian students as well as 20 professor. Required will be their rating of various marketing strategies that have worked before and proposed ones through the consideration of the literature review strategies. Since this research is a primary research, the collection of data through interviews provides room for further analysis through the consideration of a survey. The use of Likert-5 scale to grade the responses in terms of their affirmation of rejection of the proposed strategies. Based on the literature review’s strategies to a reliable marketing plan, the observed responses will provide a connection between how students are convinced as well as what students look for before making a decision. For students making a choice between two higher education institutions, it is rare for them to consider factors such as instructors. However, based on dependent variables such as premises, quality of education offered, infrastructure available to support academic activities, and the accessibility of the institutions; students can make their decisions. However, variables such as fee structure and pass mark affect the manner in which the decision to choose one institution over another. Controlling for bias, the use of interviews targeting two different groups confirms the authenticity of the one group’s points of view and that of others. The research makes use of complementary strategy to resolve the error of bias from either of the groups. For instance, a student responding to the interview question “Does fee reduction or increase influence your choice of higher education institution?” may indicate that increase and decrease of fees is not a consideration since quality of education may depend on such factor. On the other hand, a professor responding to the same question may indicate that the fee reduction or increase influences a students’ choice of what institution to consider Data Collection The instruments for data collection include interviews and survey. The survey is, however, a complementary approach of rating views. For instance, if an interview question requires students to provide their views on the tutoring of STEM courses, it is a requirement that provokes the use of survey criterion to rate the view and probably develop trends. The structured interview in this case does not allow for opinions outside the research’s provisions. In this case, when considering the views of different participants, the control criterion of coding answers as multiple choices helps to reduce the possibility of ambiguity. Ambiguity is the inclusion of broad views that may not be connected to the subject matter. In addition, views that connect with the subject matter may be too many to consider individually. One disadvantage of closed-ended interviews is that they limit the participant’s freedom of providing a details rationale for providing any given response to the question requirement. Hence, the accuracy level of closed-ended interview is questionable especially when the factors considered in the research involve variables affected by other variables. For instance, the quality of education can be considered an independent variable while the choice to attend one institution over another is depend variable. However, under quality of education there are variables such as duration of study, classes attended, and the overall assessment criteria. The sample interview questions are as following and are classified in two categories. Category one under section 1 aims at establishing whether participants were qualified to take part in the research. Section 2 on the other hand, involves specific questions with multiple choices to limit response and to use in quantitative data analysis. The interview questions for sections 1 and 2 are presented below. Section 1: Participant Introduction 1. Are you familiar with international students’ concept? 1) Yes 2) No 2. Are you a student or a professor in their Swansea or London? 1) Yes 2) No Section 2: Marketing Strategies 3. Do you agree with the statement that the structure of a higher education institution affect the student’s choice to study in the institution? 1) Strongly Disagree 2) Disagree 3) Neutral 4) Agree 5) Strongly 4. Do you support the statement that defining an institution’s target market influenced its decision to consider using its services? 1) Strongly Disagree 2) Disagree 3) Neutral 4) Agree 5) Strongly 5. Do you support the idea that positive reviews about an academic institution influences the decisions of prospective students to join the institution? 1) Strongly Disagree 2) Disagree 3) Neutral 4) Agree 5) Strongly 6. Do you agree with the marketing strategy of compromising on quality to benefit from cost effectiveness? 1) Strongly Disagree 2) Disagree 3) Neutral 4) Agree 5) Strongly 7. If service positioning considered the inclusion of Saudi Arabia and Israel students, do you agree that one group would use the other as a variable to make a decision? 1) Strongly Disagree 2) Disagree 3) Neutral 4) Agree 5) Strongly 8. Do you believe your institution’s marketing strategy relies more on publicity rather than that on actual delivery of quality service? 1) Strongly Disagree 2) Disagree 3) Neutral 4) Agree 5) Strongly 9. Do you think your institution is better placed than others within the UK academic sector? 1) Strongly Disagree 2) Disagree 3) Neutral 4) Agree 5) Strongly 10. Are there connections between an institution’s marketing strategy and its ability to attract international students? 1) Strongly Disagree 2) Disagree 3) Neutral 4) Agree 5) Strongly Recommendations The recommended marketing strategy for attracting Saudi Arabia students is as follows and considers the concept of DMAIC. Define Selling Proposition: London and Swansea campuses target Saudi Arabia students in need of higher education within the UK. Based on high quality of education, affordable courses, and conducive learning environment; Swansea and London campuses aim at promoting higher rates of international student’s enrollment in UK’s higher institutions. Measure Benefits: The benefits of studying in either London or Swansea campuses include the option to save funds via affordable modules, the selection criteria is ethical and based on qualifications, increased population in public schools interfere with the delivery of quality education which Swansea and London Campuses thrive to maintain. Analyze Target Market: The target market for the London and Swansea campuses is the Saudi Arabia students in need of higher education. Based on wealth accumulation and need to manage businesses, the UK’s higher education sector offers better courses that resemble international standards as compared to local Saudi Arabia campuses Improve Marketing Method: In order to improve on the number of students joining Swansea, a higher number of target students is reached through online advertising. The cost of advertisement will vary from one site to another. The social media is a free media platform that can improve on the reach of students. Control Service Positioning: Within the UK academic landscape, it is observed that many other institutions offer academic courses. However, the service positioning of Swansea and London Campuses depend on the quality of local and international standards. The Swansea and London campuses target international students as they offer international quality-learning experience. Conclusion Based on the need to establish a working marketing plan/strategy, the marketing strategies include steps such as selling proposition, target market, benefits of the service, service positioning, and marketing method. It is observed that the quality of education in the UK as well as the benefits associated with institutions targeting international students is based on how much the institution is capable of communicating its priorities to the target students. In addition, it has been identified from the analysis that students are more interested in institutions that can provide high quality higher education while at the same offering affordable service to all. While the UK is considered to be a region, it represents a market for higher education that is bound to reflect on international students’ expectations. This means that the UK’s higher education environment is more likely to be affected by other factors such as higher education policies, protection of international students, and provision of an environment suitable for leaning. On the other hand, targeting international students does not provide special offers to Saudi Arabian students and therefore, based on factors such as those covered under the PESTEL model, students’ choice of higher education institution is largely dependent on individual preferences that can be influenced by the marketing strategies deployed and the institution’s ability to deliver on the preferences of the target students. References Carl, P., & Robert, R. (2000). Global Literacies: Lessons on Business Leadership and National Cultures. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-85902-5 Davidson, F. (2003). Managing Projects in Organizations: How to Make the Best Use of Time, Techniques, and People, 3rd edition, Jossey-Bass, ISBN 0-787-96831-5 Elizabeth, L. (2009). 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